One topic that always seems to come up in discussions involving leadership is the idea of having a role model. People that I talk with generally think role models are important, especially for children growing up and trying to make sense of the world.
The general concern, it seems, is finding the “right” role model. Many of my friends who are parents tell me the appeal of celebrities, professional athletes and other people in the public eye makes it easy for young adults (and older ones, too) to want to “be like them”. Unfortunately, public images can be very shallow, and easily susceptible to being shattered. And when they do shatter, it’s often in a big way, which can leave young adults disillusioned and cynical.
Most leaders I talk with have one or two people they would consider a role model. I’ve heard personal development expert Bob Proctor remark that he holds Napoleon Bonaparte, the French general and emperor, as an example both of what to be like and what not to be like. A number of my military friends look to leaders like General Robert E. Lee (US Civil War) and US President Abraham Lincoln for inspiration.
So when I was talking with a friend of mine recently - a lady who has been in leadership positions pretty much her entire adult life - I asked about her role models. And I was completely unprepared for her answer! (4:34)
If you were to write down a list of the top 10 qualities that an “ideal” leader would possess, and then rank them in order of importance, where would you put “able to deal with the unexpected”? Would it be in the top 5? Would it even be on your list?
I got into a discussion with a friend of mine recently about this. He was saying that a good leader, once he has made his decision, has to keep focused on his goal (or strategy) and not let himself be deterred from it. I told him I agreed with him - to a point. But there’s a difference between putting on the blinders and ignoring everything else.
When any plan - military, business, or personal - gets put into action, sooner or later it’s going to bump up against “reality”. Things are going to happen - some are expected, some are anticipated, and some are just plain surprises. (There’s an old saying in the military that “no plan survives contact with your adversary.”) Where I differed with my friend is that a good leader doesn’t - can’t - IGNORE these things, but rather has to adapt to them.
In the early 1950s Captain Mitsuo Fuchida wrote an account of the Battle of Midway (WWII) from the point of view of the Imperial Japanese Navy. In it he recounts an anecdote which illustrates my point. (3:28)
I received some feedback about a speech I had given, where I was talking about the value of serving one’s country. I don’t mean just in the military, but in any capacity which directly benefits one’s country as a whole.In my speech I referred to this as “patriotism”.
Well, at least one person didn’t see it that way. This person’s views on what patriotism is – and what it isn’t – are very different than mine. I was surprised by this, because I just took it for granted that everyone defined the word the same way I did. Obviously, that’s not the case. And one thing I’ve learned - if one person disagrees with me, many more probably do as well.
So what exactly is patriotism, then? Do we need more of it or less? And what is it about saying “I love my country” that makes so many people uncomfortable, nervous, or downright angry? I had to think about my own beliefs a bit before I felt comfortable commenting on this.
Here’s my answer – along with an historical example. What are your reactions? Do you agree? Or do you think I’m way off base here? Is there something I’ve completely overlooked? (4:20)
Without a doubt, one of the “shining moments” in Great Britain’s long and distinguished history was the performance of her Royal Air Force in 1940. For at the Battle of Britain, a battered and bruised RAF was able to do what no other military force had been able to do – stop Adolf Hitler’s “blitzkrieg”, the “lightning war,” and prevent the planned invasion of Britain. It was the RAF pilots’ performance that inspired Prime Minister Churchill’s famous remark, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. All hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day.”
Yet the RAF pilots would tell you that they were helped tremendously by technology (radar) and a “fortunate accident” which led to a strategic miscalculation by Hitler and Goering. It’s a lesson in leadership that can still be applied today. (8:34)
A "Fortunate Accident":
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